Friday, June 30, 2017

That Jazzy Age...At The Cooper Hewitt
This past Wednesday dawned as a glorious summer day just in time for my latest Wednesday foray. Joining me was Elke Kuhn, textile expert and wearer of costumes assembled with panache and creativity.

Our destination was The Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum on the Upper East Side of Manhattan home to spotless brownstones, gleaming apartment buildings, lavish window boxes, and posh matrons in expensive duds.

The six train took me to 96th Street and Lexington Avenue and upon my debarkation I had a nice walk to 5th Avenue and 91st Street. All the better to see the sights of the Upper East Side, so different from my messy Lower East Side neighborhood.

Well-groomed canines

await their dog walker's call to action.

Preppy ladies

Curated Window Boxes

The Begonia is the border flower of choice.

Doormen of the Upper East Side.

Apartment buildings with gleaming brass

accoutrements and clean sidewalks.

My destination:

The Jazz Age:American Style in the 1920s.

Elke wore an outfit in tones

of gold, silver and ivory.

She posed in front of a magnificent

art nouveau screen.

Her flower-shaped hat attracted

scads of compliments all

afternoon long.

I went for color with my Sonia Delaunay

silk tunic, necklace of my own design

and hat from La Cerise sur Le Chapeau

in Paris.

I am standing in front of Robert Delaunay's

painting of the Eiffel Tower.

We arrived in time for a docent-led tour.

"Blues" by Archibald Motley typifies the musicand the movement of the 1920s.

Friday, June 16, 2017

Sister Act:Flaneuring in theWest Village
June 14 was Wednesday with Carol, Susan and Jeanne. We sisters got together to flaneur in the West Village. That is, we were going to roam the West Village, turning up whatever street looked the most intriguing. The West Village is inherently charming, so there are plenty of twists and turns to lead you to a new discovery.

Our plan was to meet for lunch at a little boite called While We Were Young, Kitchen & Cocktails on West 10th Street. I took the F train to West Fourth and walked on 10th Street to the restaurant. As I walked, I noticed pretty things begging to be photographed, as in "Please, please, madame, take my picture."

The window at Té Company and

Tea Room

A tiny birdhouse....

Three Lives Books...

Richard and I owned a house in Greenport, Long Island

for awhile. The owners of Three Lives had one too, a block

from our house. One day they said that we should cut down the

huge, old Maple tree in our backyard, because it

blocked their view -- of us. They spied on us with binoculars.

Fedora dates to 1952.

Dapper gents used to frequent the place.

Now it's a "fauxstalgia" joint.

As authentic old village as they come.

Sevilla opened in 1941!

It has not been gentrified. They

probably serve the same tired paella

as in the olden days.

An elegant display on a brownstone's steps.

I was the first to arrive at While We Were Young

and was offered a seat at the bar while I was old,

while I was waiting for Jeanne and Susan, and

while they were still on the West Side Highwaydriving from Westchester.

The barkeep poured me a tall glass of ice water while

I took in the petal-strewn surroundings.

While We Were Young is pretty and pink.Flowers figure prominently in the decor. The owner, Bradford Dunigan,grew up in a house which his motherfilled with flowers.

The sisters arrive.Here is Jeanne.

And Susan

And Carol and Susan

A beautiful cocktail ordered bythe lady at the next table.

My lunch was delicious.Burrata, avocado, wildflower honey,basil and pink grapefruit.Jeanne pointed out that the grapefruithad been cut into "supremes".Although the white pith and membrane are edible, theyare bitter, so you can cut them out using a technique which can be found on Sam Sifton's blogin the New York Times.

Bradford asked the chef to personallydeliver this yummy, complimentary cake to us.What a delightful surprise.

After lunch, we flaneured once more.On Hudson Street, we found The Meadow,a shop specializing in salt, chocolate, drink andflowers. They had a huge selection of bitters.

Walking west and north, we came upon Lucy Sparrow'sall-felt bodega, 8 'Til Late, which has popped up at the Standard Hotel. This ice cream freezer is coveredin felt and all the treats within are made of felt.

In fact, every single thing in the bodega ismade of felt.

Lucy Sparrow is an English artist workingat the intersection of textiles and art.

We did not buy any of the products becausewe felt they were too expensive.

Finding ourselves in Chelsea, we spottedthe Unix Gallery, where there is an exhibit called"Sugartarium". It's an art asylum for sugar addicts.

The art consists of large assemblages ofsugary candies and cookies, allsmashed. Yum, I love chocolate-covered cherries.

Since this is a Sugartarium, thereare hospital beds where you can detox fromyour sugar overdosing.

Des Autres

ABOUT ME

I'm an artist and milliner living in New York City. I study French, travel and adore la mode. I like to toss bons mots, maintain my credentials as a culture vulture and make ironic comments.
Photo by Ari Seth Cohen of Advanced Style.